Political negotiations among coalition partners of the incumbent government in Jharkhand intensified on Friday regarding the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Congress's Jharkhand affairs in-charge K Raju met Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his residence to stake claim to one of the two vacant seats for the grand old party.
Raju, accompanied by Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and state party president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, held a closed-door meeting lasting two hours.
Speaking outside the CM's residence, Raju said, "The meeting was positive. We have apprised Hemant about our party's views. Efforts are on to ensure that the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance fields collective candidates on both seats and wins them to stop the BJP. The CM has told us that he will convey his decision within the next two days."
Neither JMM nor Congress has officially named any candidate yet, though several names are being discussed. It remains unclear whether JMM, which leads the alliance government, will concede one seat to Congress.
JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said, "Our party president will take the final decision regarding candidates and other modalities."
Polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats will take place on June 18, while the nomination process begins on June 1. One seat fell vacant last year after the demise of JMM's Shibu Soren, and the term of BJP's Deepak Prakash is ending on the other seat.
On the other hand, the opposition BJP has also announced its intention to field a candidate on one seat, although the numbers are not in favor of the NDA camp.
With 56 MLAs in its fold, the ruling alliance is expected to easily secure both seats. However, the entry of a third candidate could make the battle for the second seat interesting, with possibilities of cross-voting and horse-trading. A few days ago, JMM wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing the BJP of trying to induce MLAs.
Meanwhile, Raju and Vikramarka also held extensive consultations with party MLAs, MPs, and other senior workers separately at the state guest house to seek feedback on potential candidates for further modalities.
About the Author: ASRP Mukesh holds over 15 years of journalistic experience. He covers government, politics, and human interest stories from Jharkhand.
